Food Matters

How to Attract and Retain Customers

This page will help food business proprietors understand what factors and considerations may influence potential customers. The impressions and observations of customers regarding your premises, personnel and practices (not to mention the food and drink!) will be a major factor in securing their custom - both in the immediate/short-term, and in the long-term.

What Might Customers Look For?

Outside the Business

• Refuse areas are clean and tidy; waste bins are not over-flowing; no litter/accumulations of refuse outside.
• The premises look clean, attractive and 'inviting'.

Premises

• There is a general impression of cleanliness as customers walk into the premises.
• The reception area is clean.
• There are no unpleasant smells, e.g. stale cooking smells, pervading the premises.
• Clean and tidy public areas that are in a good state of repair and decoration.
• Floors, including any carpets, are clean.
• Servery areas and kitchens (if visible) are clean and tidy.
• No evidence of flies, or other pests; Electric Fly Killers (EFKs) are present and working.
• No pet animals.
• Toilets are clean, with all necessary supplies and facilities (toilet rolls, hot and cold water, soap, hand drying facilities (i.e. disposable/single use towels, hot air dryer); cleaning of toilets is subject to regular cleanliness checks/monitoring.
• Areas around and under tables are clean and free from waste
• Tables, tablecloths, tablemats, napkins, menus etc. are clean
• Ashtrays are cleaned and emptied regularly.
• Seats, stools and benches are clean.

Personnel

• Staff are dressed for the job - smart, clean and tidy; hands and fingernails are clean
• Staff who are customer focused - polite, friendly and courteous.
• Response of management to customer complaints or suggestions is prompt and positive.
• Staff who are cooking etc. wear clean overalls.
• Staff demonstrate good standards of personal hygiene - e.g.
• wash their hands regularly between different activities (such as handling raw meat and then ready-to-eat-foods, or preparing tables for new customers and then going on to serve ready-to-eat foods)
• avoidance of poor personal habits e.g. touching hair, nose, face etc., eating/smoking/spitting on duty, blowing into bags to open them, licking fingers or to separate sheets of paper, dipping fingers into food and licking them to taste.
• if they cough, sneeze or blow their nose, it is away from food and is immediately followed by thorough hand washing.
• Prompt, effective and efficient management responses to complaints or suggestions.
• Evidence of a positive attitude to food hygiene i.e. training certificates are displayed- backed up by evidence that employees demonstrate good food handling practices; food hygiene award certificate on display (if such a scheme is operated locally); Heartbeat Award certificate.

Practices

• Measures to prevent contamination at self-service bars are in place (e.g. sneeze screens).
• Hot food is served piping hot and cooked thoroughly, unless the customer has ordered otherwise.
• Cutlery, crockery, utensils and glassware are clean.
• Where raw and cooked foods are on display, they are well separated and there are separate utensils/equipment used for both.
• All dishes of hot and cold food on display (e.g. carvery, salad bar or delicatessen counter) are changed when the dish is (nearly) empty and not just topped up.
• Messages or warnings about nut or other food allergies are visible and/or made known to consumers
• There is a good separation of job roles e.g. staff are not sweeping the floor one minute and then serving food the next
• Disposable gloves, if used, are clean, intact and regularly changed; wearers maintain good hand hygiene by washing both before putting gloves on and after taking them off; gloves only worn for food handling duties.
• Cleaning equipment and tools are stored securely away from food; they are not left lying about.

The Food and Drink Itself

• Food on display is protected from contamination.
• The food on display looks fresh and is well presented.
• 'Use-by' and 'best before' dates on food packaging are all within code.
• Perishable high-risk foods such as cold meats, salads and cream/dairy products on display are kept suitably chilled.
• Fresh fruit on display is not over-ripe.
• Hot foods on display are served piping hot.

Additional Factors

Consumer Complaints